Patent GB-191422337-A (GB)
Title: Ballast Control Apparatus for Submarine Boats.
Inventor: FAIRWEATHER WALLACE CRANSTON
IPC: B63G8/22
Filed: 1914-11-11
Granted: 1915-07-08
Abstract: 22,337. Fairweather, W. C., [Lake Torpedo Boat Co.]. Nov. 11. Submarine vessels.-The admission and expulsion of water ballast to and from the various .ballast tanks of a submarine vessel is controlled from a single multiple valve operated by one person by means of a lever pivoted to and rotatable on the valve casing. Fore and aft trimming - tanks are fitted, together with a main ballast tank 2 and final adjusting-tanks 8 situated immediately above the main ballast tank 2. The bottoms of the tanks 8 are connected by a pipe 9 and supplied from the sea through valves 6, 11, and the tops of the tanks 8 are connected by a pipe 12 fitted with a vent 14 actuated by the handle 50 of the multiple valve 18. This valve 18 comprises a casing having an annular passage 19, a series of compartments which partly surround the annular passage, and a further series below the annular casing, together with a passage 32 communicating with the passage 19 through a valve 33 diametrically opposite the valve 31. A pipe 39 connects the passage 19 with the intake of a pump, which is continuously operated when the boat is being submerged and during the time of adjustment of trim and buoyancy. When the vessel is in the awash condition, the valve casing passages and the pipes are full of water, and the lever 50 which operates the various valves in pairs is positioned with the arm 58 horizontal and maintains the valve 33 open, so that when the pump is started, the water is drawn from the passage 19 through the pipe 39 and forced through the pipe 41 into the passage 32 and back to the passage 19 by way of the valve 33. To submerge the boat, the lever 50 is forced over to open the valve 11 by depressing the rod 11<1> and at the same time to open the vent valve 14, so that the final adjusting-tanks 8 are filled to the desired extent, whereupon the lever 50 is returned to the position shown in Fig. 5. To effect an alteration of trim by the head, the lever 50 is swung round until over the stems of the valves 27, 37 and is then depressed to open these valves, permitting the valve 33 to close. The pump then causes water to be drawn from the aft tank by way of a pipe 17<1> and valve 27 to the pump, and thence to be forced through the pipe 41, passage 32, and valve 37 and by way of the pipe 42 and pipe 17 to the forward tank. To trim by the stern, the lever 50 is swung round and depressed to open valves 30, 38 and close valve 33 as before, so that the water is transferred in a similar manner to the aft tank from the forward tank. To pump water overboard to adjust the trim by the head after the discharge of a torpedo, the lever 50 is rotated until over the valves 29, 36, and when the lever is depressed, the pump draws water from the forward tank through the pipe 17, passage 25, valve 29, passage 19, and pipe 39 and forces it through the pipe 41, passage 32, valve 36, passage 21, pipe 46, and valve casing 5 outboard through the valve 6. To trim by the stern, a similar operation is performed with the valves 28, 34. To increase the reserve buoyancy, valves 31, 35 are operated so that water is discharged from the tanks 8.